


no one's gonna know it's you, miss jackson

by timefornothing



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M, This is super self-indulgent, and they're kinda cool, based off of a song, by panic! at the disco, liam and niall save the day, miss jackson, no smut sorry i suck, superhero au, they all have powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-29
Updated: 2014-04-29
Packaged: 2018-01-21 07:41:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1542956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timefornothing/pseuds/timefornothing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Liam finally enrolls in the Elite Academy, a training school for mutants, he doesn't expect to be sorted in the highest class. Nor does he expect to befriend Zodiac--the school's only superhero group made up of none other than Zayn Malik and Louis and Annie Tomlinson. Together, with his new friends Niall, Harry, Perrie, Celeste and Josh, they learn that the powerful sibling trio may be hiding more than just a few skeletons in the closet. In fact, as Liam finds out, it's a whole graveyard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	no one's gonna know it's you, miss jackson

**Author's Note:**

> yay superhero AU's are my favorite!
> 
> as per usual with my stories, liam's the main dude and it's all side larry and zerrie, which i love.
> 
> basically this is self-indulgent and based off an idea i got from listening to the song miss jackson by panic! at the disco.
> 
> EDIT: i wrote this when i was way younger and i just want to say i hate it now for a few reasons, but a couple people asked me not to delete it, so here it is.
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> Warning: Mentions of abuse and mental disorders.

“Pathetic excuse of an offspring.” The man growled, lashing out his foot once more to kick at the young girl. She was thrown backwards, crying out as she hit the wall once more. With tears in her eyes, she bowed her head, knowing better by now than to fight back against her father.

“Dad! Stop!” A young boy came forward, crouching in front of his sister. His bright blue eyes looked up at his father, pleading, “Dad, she’s hurt!”

“As she deserves to be.” He spat, “She doesn’t know the meaning of true pain.” He watched them for a moment, then turned around with a look of disgust on his face. “Your mother will be home soon. Wait for her. I’m sure she’ll show more pity than I.” He stalked forwards, grabbing his hat on the way out before slamming the door. A couple seconds of silence passed, then another young boy was creeping forward, peeking around the corner.

“Is he gone?”

“Yeah, Zayn.” The oldest boy sighed, gathering up his sister in his arms. “I hope he never comes back. Annie, you okay?”

Her only response was a sniff and to bury herself in her brother’s chest. Zayn came forward, sitting beside them and watching quietly.

An hour later, their mother came home, offering nothing but band aids and a pack of ice for Annie.

Two hours later, they were watching the news, watching the super villain Dark Star take on the Pentagon. It only lasted twenty minutes, as even a mutant as powerful as Dark Star could only take so many missiles before finally collapsing. Their mother turned away and didn’t come out of her room for a week.

  
Zayn only held his brother’s hand, whispering, “Well, Louis, sounds like your wish came true.”

  
Louis nodded, looking over to their sister on the couch. She was asleep now, the bruises on her face and arms already purpled and swollen. He grimaced, looking back to the screen. “No eight year old should have to go through that.” He mumbled, sounding much older than his eleven years. “I’m glad he’s dead.”

 

 

It was a week after her tenth birthday when they figured out something just wasn’t right with Annie. At random times, her eyes would go dark, and she’d become mean, hostile, fighting with her brothers and mom and other students in their school in a way that was very uncharacteristic of the normally nice girl. She’d wake up in odd places, not remembering how she got there, and could never recall being mean to anyone. It took both Zayn and Louis’ convincing plus an incident where she threw a chair at another student before their mother was convinced something was wrong.

  
A trip to the doctor confirmed it: because of the abuse when she was young, Annie’s mind had gone rogue, developing a second personality. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and attended weekly sessions where her other personality refused to speak.

  
Three weeks later, Louis’ mutant abilities manifested for the first time. Their mother bit her lip and turned away.

 

 

 

“Zayn, have you seen Annie?” Louis asked, coming out from his bedroom where he had been packing. He was leaving to attend the Elite Academy in a week, a place where young mutants learned to control their abilities.

  
“Nah, man.” Zayn was at the sink, focused on making the water morph into spheres that floated around his hand. He’d come a long way since he discovered his abilities over a year ago, although his mother’s face paled every time he used them.

  
“And you don’t think that’s weird?” Louis prodded, leaning on the counter beside him. He swept his brown hair back from where his bangs were hanging in his face. “I haven’t seen her in a couple hours at least.”

  
Zayn froze, the water hovering motionless as he looked over to his brother. “You don’t think…She wouldn’t have switched on us now, would she?”

  
Louis groaned, “She can’t control it, you know that. Come on, let’s go check the neighbor’s garden again. She ends up there a lot.” He turned to walk out their back door, but before they could, a shout was heard from their mother’s bedroom.

  
“Mom?” Zayn called, exchanging a glance with his brother before running back to the bedroom. The water spheres followed him, hovering just behind his shoulders. Louis turned the doorknob, both of them stopping short when they saw the scene playing before them.

  
Annie’s hand was out in front of her, palm open and pointing at their mother, who was kneeling on the bed, hands clasped to her throat as she gasped for breath. A white tendril of light was passing between them, and the more of it that went into Annie’s hand, the darker the shadows of the room seemed to grow.

  
“Annie!” Louis shouted, blue eyes wide in fear. Zayn hovered just behind him, hands clenched tightly into his brother’s shirt.

  
She spun around, and that’s when Louis saw how dark her eyes were. The pupils were black, darker even than Zayn’s eyes. She smirked, “That’s not my name.”

  
It was if someone flipped a switch in the room. The shadows returned to their normal hue, their mother collapsed on the bed, and Annie fell to the floor, the white tendril of light dissipating into the air. Zayn ran for their mother while Louis went to Annie.

  
“What the hell was that?” Zayn asked, looking desperately to his older brother for answers.

  
Louis only shook his head, pulling out his phone to dial 911. “I don’t know, Zayn. I don’t know. But it seems like we aren’t the only mutants in this family.”

 

 

 

Three hours later, their mother was put on life support. Louis went to Elite Academy, where he was assigned to Class A. Zayn and Annie remained at home for the next year where they were looked after by their mother’s nurse.

  
Annie’s mutant abilities manifested two weeks after her other personality’s, and for the first time since she started therapy, her other personality spoke freely to the therapist. Later, all that was found in the room was his unconscious body and the tape still recording. When the police pressed play, this is what they heard.

  
_“So, what’s your name?”_

  
_“What do you want it to be?_

  
_“You seem much older than 13.”_

  
_“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”_

  
_“And what exactly can you do?”_

  
_There was a rustle, then Annie’s voice, “I can manipulate shadows, and take the life force from people.”_

  
_“And have you tried these abilities on anyone?”_

  
_“Well, you heard about my mother, didn’t you?”_

  
_“And what can Annie do?”_

  
_“Annie can do more than I can. It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all!”_

  
_“Calm down, Annie.”_

  
_There was a large crash, followed by a whisper that almost wasn’t caught._

  
_“Call me Miss Jackson.”_

  
The same day the therapist was found, their mother died of natural causes. Professors came from the Elite Academy, and Annie was enrolled with her brother Zayn, a year early.

  
While they tried to enroll her in the Deviants Class, Louis convinced them that she was of no harm to anyone. He and Zayn had found a way to keep her alter ego from appearing, which involved surrounding her with water. Miss Jackson had a phobia of water and drowning, and Luke guessed it was from when their father used to abuse her. He’d hold her underwater, not letting her come up until she was choking and gasping for breath. It was cruel, but they’d do what they needed to keep Miss Jackson from hurting anyone else. Once the professors were convinced she was of no threat, she was enrolled in Class A with Zayn, and they were at the top of the class for the first years. Zayn learned he could control and manipulate water in any form and in large volumes. Louis, whose earth abilities excelled beyond even the Professor’s, was pleased, and worked with him to help their sister gain control over her powers.

  
Her telepathic abilities only continued to grow, so much so that the Professors said she could read someone’s very soul. They grew dependent on each other, as they were all any of them had left. And while superhero teams were highly discouraged until your fourth and final year, Louis made them a promise that they would never leave each other. Louis’ superhero name he chose for himself, Capricorn, influenced Zayn and Annie at the end of their first year when they chose their own names.

  
“Aquarius is pretty sick, you know, since I can control water.” Zayn shrugged, “It’s cool.”

  
“And because you’re actually an aquarius.” Annie snorted, shifting her place leaning on Luke’s shoulder.

  
“Oh, and you being a gemini makes it less weird?” Louis snorted, looking down at her. “I like it, though. Gemini. It fits you. We should call ourselves Zodiac.”

  
“To Zodiac!” Annie cheered, raising her water bottle in a mock toast. Zayn and Louis laughed and did it with her, smiling to each other in Louis’ dorm room that he shared with Zayn.

  
They never brought up Miss Jackson, and she never appeared again that year when Zayn and Louis were around to stop her.

 

 

 

 

“Mate, we’re finally here, can you believe it?” Niall clapped a hand on his shoulder, staring before them with a breathless smile. Liam swallowed hard and nodded, suddenly nervous. They were standing before the Elite Academy, home to the world’s best training ground for people with enhanced abilities.

Superheroes, mutants, freaks, take your pick. Liam had been called all of those, and more. With another sigh, he and Niall moved forward, following the crowd of first years through the front doors. Niall had approached him on the bus, all smiles and laughs and with his arms full of food.

“Mind if I sit with ya?” He asked, plopping down before Liam could say no.

“Uh, sure. But, why?” Liam asked, unable to help himself. No one so much as glanced in his direction, usually.

“I can tell how nervous you are.” Niall shrugged, then leaned forward and placed a hand on his knee. Instantly, a warm feeling creeped up his leg, soothing his churning stomach. He looked up to Niall for an explanation, who only winked and said, “It’ll be fine, mate. Now, who ya rootin’ for in the World Cup? I’m from Ireland meself.”

He and Niall were a year older than most of them at seventeen, their parents holding them back a year before allowing them to enroll. Niall’s, because they’d miss him too much, Liam’s, because he was too nervous last year.

“First years! Straight to the gym for assessment!” A professor bellowed, gesturing a clawed arm to their left. The teens shuffled past him, all of them whispering amongst themselves about his scales and wings. Liam avoided eye contact and kept his gaze on the floor, not wanting to get on anyone’s bad side so soon in the year. He followed the other first years and stood amongst them at the side of the gymnasium, in front of a large platform. In the stands on either side of the gym was a littering of upperclassmen, all of them pointing and no doubt making bets on who would be placed in what category.

There were four main classes. Class A were the people on the fast track to being the well known heroes and members of upper society, but the professors referred to them as the Collected. They were aware of their abilities and could control them, and the courses they took mainly involved teaching them how to become better and how to become leaders.

Second only to them were Class B. These kids were aware of most of their abilities as well, but they were still learning how to best use them. Most Class B’s were upgraded to Class A after their second year here. Class C were people who were unsure of their abilities, or who lacked simple control. And though no one could ever confirm it, word was that people who had “useless” or “stupid” abilities were tossed in this class as well.

Class D were people who would most likely become problematic in the future, and they were called the Deviant. These powers were described as “too powerful without careful instruction” by the teachers and “downright evil” by the students. Without careful instruction, these kids were known to bully and steal things from other students, or worse—become supervillains.

“Oh, no way.” Niall breathed beside him, eyes wide as he looked into the stands. Liam followed his gaze, settling on three students sitting at the very top of the bleachers. “It’s Zodiac.”

“No way, Zodiac is here?” A first year gasped beside them, and Liam turned to look at the boy, who immediately blushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I’m just nervous.” When Liam nodded, the boy smiled, a dimple popping out in his cheek, and he extended a hand forward. “I’m Harry.”

“Niall.” He announced, leaning across Liam. “Mr. Cold and Stony here is Liam. Nice to meet ya!”

Liam rolled his eyes, then turned back to Niall. “Who’s Zodiac?”

“They’re a superhero team.” Niall said quietly, gaze flicking to Harry’s face.

“I thought we weren’t allowed to form teams until we graduated?” Liam asked, and Harry nodded eagerly.

“We aren’t. But they all hang out because they’re family, and they convinced the teachers it doesn’t mean anything, even though they’ve got uniforms and everything.” Harry pointed discreetly, and Liam listened intently as he looked to the three people sitting at the top.

“The one in the middle is the leader, Louis. He’s the oldest.” Harry whispered, and Liam examined the boy. Mussed up brown hair, tan skin and piercing blue eyes were what stood out first, and as Liam watched him, he noticed the sharp cut of his cheekbones, the way he looked about almost condescendingly as he smirked and spoke to the two people next to him. “Calls himself Cap, short for Capricorn. He’s an earth elemental, Class A, third year.”

“That’s Aquarius next to him, innit?” Niall asked, looking as well.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Hero name is Aquarius, and I think his real name’s Zayn. Dunno much about him, he’s the supposed mysterious one.” Liam could understand that perfectly. The man had dark hair and even darker eyes, looking about as mysterious as they come. His tan skin matched Louis’, although that was almost the only similarity between the two. Where Louis was soft curves and smirks, Zayn was sharp edges and a defined coolness in his gaze. “He’s got water abilities. Second year, and Class A, of course.”

“And the girl?” Liam prodded, gaze sliding to the left of the two boys. A girl sat next to them, smiling along with Louis and laughing at something he said. Her eyes were just as bright and blue as his, skin tan like the both of them, although her hair was as dark as Zayn’s. She was beautiful, really.

“Gemini.” Niall answered, turning to look at Liam with a smile. “Heard she almost got put in the Deviants, but Louis convinced the headmaster to put her in A with him and Zayn.”

“Yeah, she’s got some crazy telepathic ability or something.” Harry agreed, and Liam continued to watch her. She was built like Louis, their smiles almost identical as she laughed along with him. Suddenly, her gaze met his and he blushed, looking away to the front of the stage guiltily. He could almost feel her smirk burning a hole on the side of his face. Or maybe that was just his blush.

“Alright, first years, let’s get started.” A booming voice called out, and they all turned to look at the stage where the clawed man who had been in the hallway was standing. He flexed his wings out, instantly making a hush spread over the gym. He smiled, pulling them back in as he said, “Thought that’d do the trick. I’m Professor Viper, I’ll be doing your initial assessment. Let’s get started, shall we?” He clapped his hands together, and Liam swallowed hard. Almost instantly, a warm feeling was creeping through him again, calming him down, and he looked to Niall, who had his hand on his shoulder as he stared ahead nonchalantly.

“First up! Allen, Chris!”

One by one, the first years were called up, each displaying their abilities and being sorted into the different classes. A girl, Perrie, was sorted into Class A when her shapeshifting ability proved impressive. Liam though he saw Zayn nodding in the stands. Niall surprised Liam by saying he had healing and flying powers and was asked to step into Class A without having to display his ability. A boy named Ed was sent to Class B, as his siren abilities needed a little fine tuning. Harry, who could also fly, was put into Class A after showing how he could also read anyone’s emotions. Professor Viper brought up student after student to test this, and everyone laughed when a blushing Harry announced, “All Niall’s thinking about is when he’s going to eat next.”

“Oh, silly me, we skipped the P’s.” Viper laughed later on, looking at his sheet. “Payne, Liam.”

Liam swallowed hard and walked up the stairs, nervous as anything. Niall shot him a thumbs up, but it did nothing to calm his nerves.

“Alright, son, what’re your abilities?” Viper asked. Despite his initial intimidating appearance, Viper proved to be warm and likable, and Liam thought Viper would be his favorite professor by the end of the year.

“Um.” Liam blushed, looking down at his shoes. “I’m not sure?”

“I’m sorry?” Viper chuckled, watching Liam with a single scaly brow raised.

“I dunno. Honestly. It changes.” Liam shrugged helplessly. Instead of getting angry and sending him to Class C like Liam expected, Viper only smiled and said, “Good thing we got someone in the audience who can help with that.” He turned, gesturing to the top of the bleachers. “Ms. Tomlinson! Get down here!”

Liam almost fainted when he saw Gemini stand and walk casually (or as casually as one could down a set of bleachers. Liam thought she pulled it off well) towards them.

“I told you, Viper, call me Annie.” She snorted, hopping easily onto the platform.

Viper smiled, gesturing at Liam. “Dunno if you heard, but Mr. Payne here says he’s not sure what his abilities are. Think you could help us out?”

“Call me Liam.” He squeaked out before Annie nodded. She was much prettier up close, and he could tell that she looked a lot younger as well. She was a good few inches shorter than him, but her sweater was hugging her curves in a way that was making Liam wish she’d go back up the bleachers already.

“Sure thing!” Annie stepped forward, reaching a hand out towards him. “Nice to meet you, Liam. I promise this won’t hurt. Much.” When his face paled she laughed, stepping even closer. “Kidding! I’m kidding. It doesn’t hurt at all.” She set his hand on his chest, blue gaze locking with his. “Just breathe. In…out…in—“

And then he felt it. Where Niall’s ability had warmed him and eased him, he now had a cool tendril spreading through him faster than lightning. He froze, unable to look away from her blue eyes.

She smirked, not once moving her gaze, “His abilities are linked to his hormones. Very under control, actually, for someone with that ability. When they manifest, he’s able to control himself. The ones he’s seen so far are…” She cocked her head, smiling slightly, “Super strength. Incredible stamina. He flew once or twice. But there’s more he hasn’t accessed yet.”

“So, Class B?” To his astonishment, it seemed as if Viper was asking Annie where to put him.

Although, she shook her head, finally taking her hand off of his chest. He let out a breath, feeling uncomfortably warm where her hand had been. He almost wished she’d put her hand back just to cool the area down.

“No. Class A. He’s just gotta learn how to access it when he’s not being attacked, otherwise he’s a perfect hero.” She smiled, giving him a very obvious once over. “Welcome to the Collected, Payne. I look forward to seeing you.” She winked, making Liam blush, and then she was gone and off the stage, making her way back up to her brothers. He hurried off the stage to where Niall and Harry were, both of them congratulating him and introducing him to the friends they had made so far. He shook hands with Perrie, Taylor, Ed and Celeste, but his eyes were drawn back to the top of the bleachers.

He made eye contact once more with Annie, but he didn’t look away this time. She grinned broader at this, and Liam could had swore he felt something brush across his mind when she winked. Shivering, he looked away. Just what were her abilities? He’d have to ask Harry more about her later.

Assessment finished up soon after that, and then they were led to their dorm buildings. They were set up in dorms based off of their classes, and Liam swallowed nervously when he realized that meant they were living in the same building as Zodiac. In the main lobby, another professor, Professor Cloud, welcomed them. He explained that they had the rest of the day to be moved in and get acquainted with their hall mates, but they were expected back in the auditorium the next morning at nine for orientation. With that, he directed them to the room postings, and then everyone was crowding around, seeing where they were put.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his name next to Harry’s on the third floor, and Niall cheered when he saw he was the room next door with someone named Josh. Celeste and Taylor were on the second floor, and Perrie spun around with wide eyes, grabbing onto Niall’s arm.

“I’m on the third floor, but you’ll never guess who my roommate is.”

“Who? That Eleanor girl?” Niall snorted, and Perrie shook her head.

“Worse. Annie Tomlinson.” Niall and Harry had gladly filled them all in on the superhero group once Annie had to figure Liam’s abilities out for him.

Everyone froze, then Niall laughed loudly. “Oi, that so figures. Hey, do you reckon there’s anything to eat around here?” He pushed them towards the elevators, hurrying them up in case there was food waiting in their rooms. While he was disappointed there wasn’t, there was in fact a kitchen and sitting area on their floor, in between the girls and guys wings. Perrie promised to make them food as soon as she was moved in, and Liam and Harry hurried to unpack.

“Can you believe Perrie got stuck with Annie?” Harry asked as he put his shirts in his dresser. “Like, that’s crazy. Especially after Annie had to do that thing with you.”

“Yeah.” Liam agreed, still a little dazed. What exactly had Annie done? He didn’t know telepaths needed physical contact to read someone’s mind.

“You boys like your room?”

They froze, turning to the doorway to see where the teasing voice had come from.

Leaning on their doorframe was no other than Louis Tomlinson, perfect smirk set in the middle of his face. His hands were in his pockets, making him look utterly cool and Liam was instantly jealous. He wished he could seem as confident as this boy.

“Yeah, it’s great.” Harry let out in a rush, and Liam gave him a confused look. Was this kid friendly to everyone? “It’s so much bigger than the other rooms. And our friend Niall—he’s the healer, I’m sure you saw him—he’s jealous because we’re right beside the kitchen.”

Louis nodded as if this was nothing new to him. “Yeah, Annie thought you guys’d like this room.”

Liam furrowed his brow, “What?”

Louis beamed then, his features turning from cool confidence to childlike mischievousness in a millisecond. “Annie had them change the line up, give you guys all nice rooms. We’re in the room across the hall, the other really nice one. Annie and Perrie are in the nicest of the girls’ rooms, on the other side of the kitchen.”

“Bummer you couldn’t get Celeste in a good room as well.” Harry frowned, looking genuinely disappointed over someone he had literally met an hour ago. “She’s stuck on the second floor with Taylor.”

“Taylor’s the one who can make it storm, right?” Came a smooth voice, and that’s when they noticed Zayn standing just behind Louis. Harry nodded, and Louis laughed, “Ah. Yeah, Annie got a bad reading off of her. Sorry, didn’t realize you were friends with Celeste. Might not be too late to try and get her up here.”

“Not to seem rude, but why?” Liam asked, hands gripping the t-shirt in his hands tightly. “I mean, you just met us. Kind of, actually. Annie and I kind of met, not even fully. So why are you helping us out?”

Louis shrugged, walking into the room. “Annie got a good reading off of you guys. Said you’re all cool, that we’d get along well.” He let his gaze slide over to Harry, raking him over in the same way that Annie had done to Liam previously. “Can’t say I disagree.”

“Guys! I’m starving, and Perrie’s waitin’ in the kitchen—“ Niall froze in the doorway, seeing Louis and Zayn in his friends’ room. “Oh sick, you’re friends with Zodiac already!” He came in, beaming at them as he extended his hand. “Harry and I are big fans, big fans. I’m Niall.”

Louis shook his hand warmly, and Zayn’s eyebrows lifted slightly as they shook hands. “Annie said you’re an empath as well, yeah?”

Niall shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Helps to heal people when I can feel exactly what they’re feeling, right?” He grinned at Harry. “Haz and I have a lot in common, as it turns out. He’s just better at it. Come on! Let’s go eat. You guys gotta meet my roommate Josh. He can turn into different materials! Like his whole body can be metal or summat! Isn’t that sick? He’s the craic, honestly…” Niall led them out, mouth moving endlessly, even when it was stuffed with the spaghetti Perrie made. Halfway through the meal, Celeste and Taylor joined them, and a few minutes after, Annie came out into the room, giving Liam a smirk.

“So, I see you’re making friends faster than you thought you would.”

“All thanks to you, it seems.” Harry answered for him, smiling up at her from where he sat next to Louis on the bench. “Apparently you gave us the nicest room, as well? Thanks for that!” He grinned at her, and Taylor piped up from the end of the table, “How come we didn’t get a nice room like everyone else?”

Instantly, Annie’s warm smile dropped, and her blue eyes flicked to Taylor. Liam was amazed at how her look could change from so warm to so cold so fast. “You don’t deserve it. Now, Zayn, scoot over.” Taylor’s mouth dropped open, although she didn’t speak again, as it was pretty obvious the conversation was over. She squished into the seat with Zayn, and up close, Liam could see the similarities between all of them.

“Are you really all related?” Josh asked, obviously on the same train of thought Liam was on. Liam liked Josh. He was friendly and open, hugging everyone when he met him and reminding him of a much more toned down version of Niall. Liam wondered if Annie had known that when she put them together.

“Yupp!” Louis grinned, slinging an arm around Annie. “Fannie and I here share a dad while her and Zayn share a mum. So, in a way, we’re all half siblings.”

Annie rolled her eyes, shoving Louis’ arm off of her. “Told you not to call me that. Fuck off, Boobear.”

“Boobear?” Harry echoed, looking to Louis with a shit-eating grin. He groaned, glaring at Annie.

“Annie, dear, your inner super villain is showing again.”

“Super villain?” Celeste echoed this time, watching them warily.

“Yes again!” Louis smirked. “Guess which parent was the bad guy.”

Liam’s eyes examined Louis, then settled on Zayn’s dark, brooding features. However, before he could say anything, Annie laughed. “Wrong, Liam.” His eyes snapped to hers. Was she reading his mind?

“More or less, yes.” Annie smirked, and then nudged Louis. “Louis and I’s dad was the infamous Dark Star.”

“Your dad was Dark Star?” Niall sputtered, spaghetti sauce spraying everywhere. “Like, the Dark Star that nearly took out the United Nations?”

“The one and the same!” Louis grinned. “Good for nothing but destroying governments, unfortunately. Left me and Annie with her and Zayn’s mum and got all killed and whatnot.” He rolled his eyes. “Good riddance, I say.”

Annie nodded in agreement, then Niall, cheerful as ever, changed the subject, “Hey, did anyone bother to ask if we had to stock the kitchen ourselves?”

Conversation continued easily, and their hall mates drifted in in pairs, all greeting each other and introducing themselves. Liam felt extremely out of place as he learned everyone’s abilities. All of them seemed more powerful than he was, and it left an odd feeling in his gut. Why had Annie been so sure he deserved to be in Class A?

Louis turned out to be just as friendly with Niall, although a dozen times more sarcastic. While it was obvious his sharp wit could hurt someone’s feelings easily, he always toned it down with a fond smile and a wink. Annie was the same, staying step for step in his banter while Zayn sat back and watched, occasionally smiling to himself.

Slowly, people began to head back to their rooms, and around eleven, Zayn and Perrie had moved to the sitting room to talk by themselves, Taylor had gone back downstairs, and Louis suddenly asked, “You guys wanna see something cool outside?”

“Isn’t curfew ten?” Liam asked tentatively. He was nearly sure everyone had to be inside the buildings at night, but Louis waved him off.

“That’s only for the Deviants. The only one of us who would need to follow that is, fortunately, in Class A.” Annie shoved Louis, and he only laughed and stood up. “Come on, all of you. Let’s go.”

Annie raised as eyebrow at Celeste, who remained sitting. “You coming?”

“I thought you didn’t like me?” Celeste said simply, light voice making it seem like a perfectly innocent question.

Annie laughed, “No, I like you. You’re good. It’s your roommate I can’t stand. You’ll all see once classes start.” With no more explanation, she turned and began walking out the door, and Niall looked to Louis, “Care to explain?”

“Nah, I prefer to be a man of many secrets.” He grinned, then grabbed Harry’s hand. “Come on! Outside we go!” Everyone followed, and Liam smiled as he saw Harry blushing. They led them outside and behind the dorm, following a small path that led them deep into the woods, and then suddenly they were stepping into a clearing, the stars lit up beautifully above them.

“Holy…” Harry breathed, eyes wide as he gazed upwards. It was beautiful, the little pinpricks of light glowing above them.

“It’s because we’re so far away from the city.” Annie whispered, coming to stand beside him, and Liam jumped when he realized she was much closer than he had thought. She only smiled at him, looking back up to the stars. “And to think, all those glowing balls of light are probably dead.”

“Alright, Miss Jackson.” Louis snorted, and Annie’s head whipped over to look at him, glaring. Louis raised his hands in surrender, then slowly lowered them as he watched Annie. He could see the tension in the gaze, as if Louis could sense something no one else could. “Hey, Annie, come on. I think Zayn wanted us to meet him at the spot.” He pulled out his phone, sending a text as he walked further away.

Annie shifted uneasily beside him, then turned to give a shrug to Liam as she backed away with Louis already heading deeper into the woods. Liam, frowning, walked after her while the others stayed behind.

“Annie! Wait. What did he mean by Miss Jackson?” He asked. Something wasn’t sitting right in his gut, and his stubbornness was not going to let that go easily.

Annie spun around, green eyes glinting in the light. Only, it was the middle of the night, with no moon, in a forest. So Liam knew the light was all her own, glowing from some inner warmth that he didn’t know just yet she possessed. But for now, he settled for wondering what it was. He’d find out one day, he promised himself. Was this one of the many secrets Louis had alluded to earlier?

“Louis’ not the only one with secrets, you know.” She winked, then spun around, chasing after her older brother in the darkness. Liam’s eyes widened as he realized she had done it again, the reading his mind thing. He watched them go, mouth slightly open, standing and staring until Harry finally came up and clamped a hand down on his shoulder.

“I always heard your first year at the Academy was going to be hell.” Harry sighed, leaning a bit on Niall beside him. “Never figured it’d be because of a cute boy though.” Niall laughed loudly and shoved him aside before turning and walking back towards the dorms, slinging an arm around Celeste and Josh as he walked.

“Come on, you two. We can pine over breakfast tomorrow.” Liam turned and followed him, feet dragging in the cool grass. The memory of her eyes stayed with him, accompanied by the fleeting memory of the coolness in his chest earlier. There was something more to it, he was sure. And there was something more to her, other than his desire to continue to see her in the dark. It was in that moment, he thought to himself with a pitiful sigh, that he realized he was a goner.

 

 

 

Orientation was simple enough the next day. They stood in long lines and met with professors who signed them up for the appropriate classes, and they had the rest of the day to explore the campus. Liam spoke to Professor Viper again, and the scaly man was more than happy to give him a map that showed him exactly where his classes were.

Louis and Zayn appeared when Liam, Niall, Harry, Perrie and Celeste (whom Liam was now referring to as his group) were walking around, as if they had known exactly where they’d be. Liam couldn’t help but feel like it was thanks to Annie, once again.

“Hey, where’s your sister?” Niall asked a few minutes into their guided tour (where Louis was mostly pointing out the easiest places to sneak a smoke from a joint or the best places to stay when skipping class). Zayn and Louis glanced at each other, and Louis answered, “She wasn’t feeling up for socializing today. Wanted to save her energy for classes tomorrow.”

“She didn’t come back last night.” Perrie said worriedly, and the brothers exchanged another look.

“You know Annie,” Louis offered with an awkward chuckle, “Probably spending the night in a first year’s room. Giving them a proper welcome, if you know what I mean.” He nudged Liam with his elbow, and Zayn rolled his eyes.

Annie turned up to dinner later on. No one asked where she had been, and she offered no explanation, as if this were completely normal. And as the first few weeks went on, Liam learned it was normal. Annie would disappear for anywhere from two hours to four days, and none of them would offer an explanation, and no one asked. Perrie told them she had no idea, that Annie never mentioned it.

Liam’s schedule was simple enough. He had Tech 101 in the morning with Harry and Niall, then hand-to-hand combat with Louis, Annie, Perrie, Niall and Josh. Leadership and Reasoning was after that, with Harry, Celeste and Taylor, and then lunch with everyone. Power specific training was reserved for the afternoon, and Liam rotated where he was every day under the supervision of Professor Viper. Some days he worked with the kids with super strength, some days it was with the flyers, somedays with the “pyros” as they called themselves and other times he was the guinea pig for the healers and mind readers. (He thought Annie had too much fun on the first day when she teased him about spilling apple juice when he was four.)

Liam excelled in his classes, working personally with Professor Viper to help tap into his emotional capabilities. After two weeks of working with him, Annie took over his tutoring. With her telepathic abilities, she was able to trigger the different hormones within Liam and help him recognize what it felt like in order to access each power. The super strength and flying came easiest to him, and he could only beam with pride every time Annie told him, “Not bad, Payno.”

Two weeks into tutoring with Annie, Liam asked if he had any other abilities he had yet to find out about.

“Your abilities are basically limitless.” She said seriously, then turned and smirked. “But I’m not about to reveal all your secrets.”

“You don’t have to reveal them all!” Liam whined, “Just, like, give me a heads up.” He lowered his gaze, reminding himself of the first time he had figured out about his super strength.

“Hey, hey.” She said softly, leaning forward, and her tone of voice is what made him look up. She was never this quiet, never this sincere except for when she was speaking with Louis or Zayn. Her blue eyes gazed into his, and he blushed as she spoke. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry. You were young, you didn’t have the control then that you do now. You’re so, so strong, Liam. Nothing like that will ever happen again. It’ll all be happy accidents, I swear. Nothing like me finding out about my powers.”

He smiled softly, “Can’t believe yours could be worse than sending your sister to the hospital with a broken arm.”

Her gaze darkened for a moment, then she blinked and leaned away from him, giving an uneasy smile as she joked, “You better believe it.” She laughed and ruffled his hair, but he could sense the wariness in her voice. What had she done that was so bad?

She disappeared for a day after that, and when she returned, she worked with him all day until he had mastered accessing the fire and was no longer accidentally singing off anyones eyebrows (even though Niall always had fun making them grow back).

Niall quickly become loved by all of the professors, as healers were rare enough as it was, but he was a special kind of healer, able to help with emotions as well. And, as it turns out, he could cure hangovers, which were especially helpful after the little get togethers Louis threw in his room on Saturday nights. Liam loved those get togethers. Everyone was happy and relaxed with the alcohol in their system, making them all grow closer to each other. Annie usually found her way onto the same bed as Liam, pressed into his side as the night went on, but he didn’t mind. She always smelled clean, as if she had just showered or stood in the rain, and sooner rather than later, Liam found himself being calmed by the smell.

Perrie and Harry were right up there with Liam as well, their abilities honing to perfection as the months went on. Celeste was soon declared top of their class with her mastery of ice, and Liam wasn’t surprised one bit when he and Josh walked in one day to find her and Niall in bed together.

“Niall! Oh my God!” Josh threw his hands over his eyes, embarrassment making his skin ripple and shift into wood, and Liam could only burst out laughing.

“The fuck are you embarrassed fer, Josh?!” Niall screamed, throwing the blanket over them. “I’m the one caught with his dick out! Get out of here!” Liam pulled the traumatized Josh out of the room, and Annie only had to take one look at them before she burst out laughing.

Harry and Louis getting together hadn’t been much of a surprise either, as both boys became a blushing idiot around the other. Harry cooked often just for him and Louis, while Louis’ usually unbeatable wit would turn into a stammering mess of words. Niall had often shouted, “Just fuck and get it over with!” And Zayn had only laughed the day they found out that they had followed Niall’s advice. Again, Annie had been the first to know, coming out of her room and shouting, “Louis William Tomlinson! If you just did what I think you did…!”

Of course, she was right. Niall didn’t stop laughing for a week about it.

“Jesus, Lou, keep your thoughts to yourself.” Annie groaned, burying her face in Liam’s shoulder where they sat on the couch. It was three weeks after Louis and Harry had gotten together, and they were as grossly enamored as two newlyweds. Liam looked over to Louis, who was blushing while watching the movie.

“Stay out of my head then.” He responded, tightening his fingers around Harry’s hand and draping his legs across Harry’s lap.

“I am! I am so far out of your head!” She cried, exasperated. “But your thoughts are so fucking loud—no pun intended—that I can’t even focus on the movie.” She glared at him, pointing, “You love him, we get it. Now go get rid of your boner before I respond with some very not nice mental images and get rid of it for you.”

Niall burst out laughing while Louis blushed again, and he left, dragging Harry along with him. Annie just grumbled and shifted further down on the couch, throwing her legs over Josh’s lap and setting her head on Liam’s shoulder. “Fucking hormonal boys, all of you. You all keep me up at night.”

Liam smiled, shifting his arm so that she’d be comfier. While the situation was funny, he had no idea that she could put images in other people’s heads. He still didn’t have a full grasp on her powers, and he didn’t think anyone did, not even Zayn or Louis. Sure, they had the most experience with it, but the strength of her ability surprised everyone at times.

When they had teased Zayn about him and Perrie, he shrugged, mysterious smile in place. Neither of them would confirm or deny what was going on between them, although Louis would point out loudly whenever one of them had a new hickey or lovebite somewhere on them. Annie wasn’t far behind, often giving Zayn a look and saying, “Calm down, Romeo.” He’d blush but carry on, pretending he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

Throughout all of this, Annie continued her disappearing act. It left Liam more confused than anything, as he was positive there was something else going on. When he asked Louis or Zayn about it, they’d give a different excuse every time. One time Zayn had flat out told him, “She’s got her own issues, leave em be.”

Harry didn’t have a clue either, and Louis didn’t tell him anything. The one time Harry did ask, Louis told him it wasn’t his secret to share. Liam frowned, looking over to where Annie sat with Perrie and Zayn, laughing about something Celeste was telling them about Taylor. How could a girl whose smile was so bright hide something so secret behind it?

He thought back to the day when he had asked her about how she found out about her powers. What had made her eyes go dark? Was it the memory? Liam thought his was bad, but he had heard the stories about some of the other kids who went here that were much worse. Was hers as bad?

“Guys, guys!” Louis shouted, bursting into the sitting room. The usual group was there, as the other students had quickly noticed how they laid claim to the area. Liam also thought it had to do with the fact that Zodiac was part of his group, but Louis denied it with a sickeningly sweet smile that made Liam think, yes, that was exactly it.

“What is it, Lou?” Josh asked, looking up from his chemistry homework. Poor Josh, he had to learn what chemicals did what with each other so that he was prepared when he transformed into different materials.

“I can do something cooler with my powers! Harry and I figured it out at the library today!” Louis told them, eyes bright. Liam’s gaze slid over to meet Annie’s, as she always got the news before anyone else. She only smiled calmly, as if to say, I knew he could do it before he did.

“I, uh, found a book when I was looking for something to help Josh.” Harry said, one side of his mouth lifting up. “And it got us thinking. And we tried it out in the library, and—“

“And now I want to show you!” Louis finished, excitement making him barrel over Harry’s speech. “Josh, turn into iron. You have iron, right?”

“Yeah.” Josh nodded, standing slowly. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Nothing permanent.” Louis grinned, and waited until Josh’s skin rippled and turned dark grey and metallic. “Alright, so everyone knows that most metals come from the earth, right?”

“Right…” Zayn answered, narrowing his eyes.

“Right. So, I’m an earth elemental. Apparently, this doesn’t stop at plants and dirt.” With a wicked grin, Louis turned and pointed his hand at Josh. Josh’s eyes widened, then suddenly he was walking forward awkwardly, arms straight out on either side.

“Guys, guys, I’m not doing this.” He said worriedly, then glanced at Louis. “You can control metal?!”

“If it comes from the earth, then yes.” He smirked, then dropped his hand and Josh sagged in relief. “Basically anything that comes from inside the earth is at my mercy.”

“That’s awesome, Louis!” Perrie told him, and Celeste nodded, “Yeah, that’s sick! No wonder you’re a Class A freak, that’s pretty powerful.”

 _Just wait until he figures out what else he can do._ Annie whispered into Liam’s mind, smiling at him from across the room. He gave her a questioning look, but she only smiled and looked away.

Everything was smooth sailing until two days before they were to leave for winter break. Liam was with Louis, Zayn and Harry in the lounge after dinner when Celeste and Perrie came walking out of her room, confused.

“Alright, Annie hasn’t been home all day today and she promised yesterday she’d help me with my Tech homework. We have a test tomorrow morning.” Perrie announced, placing her hands on her hips. “Where is she?”

Zayn’s head snapped to Louis. “She’s not here? You sure?” He looked around the room, “Have any of you seen her?” They all shook their heads, and Louis stood abruptly.

“Do you think she left without us?”

Just as the words left his mouth, a scream echoed from outside, and all of them rushed to the window to look. Down below, someone was struggling, trying to fight their way forward, when suddenly a dark tendril, seemingly made of shadows, whipped out, catching the boy around his arms and pulling him back into the forest.

“Miss Jackson.” Louis gasped, and then he and Zayn were sprinting towards the stairs, Liam, Niall, Harry, Celeste and Perrie all glanced at each other, sharing a worried look, and then followed, sprinting after them out the building and into the woods.

They ran for a few minutes before stumbling into the clearing, and Niall landed, shouting, “Who the hell is Miss Jackson? What the hell is happening?” Zayn and Louis glanced at each other, and Niall interrupted. “No, no, no, I’m sick of the knowing looks. What the fuck kind of secrets are you keeping from us?”

Zayn stared hard at the ground, and Louis turned around, a worried look on his face. “Uh, do you remember those stories about students disappearing a few years ago?” They all nodded, and Louis continued, “Yeah, okay. Well, it’s uh, it’s because of this person named Miss Jackson.”

“Like the Panic at the Disco song?” Perrie snorted, and Louis raised his hands.

“Hey, she picked the name, not me. Anyways.” He dropped the smirk. “Miss Jackson basically has the abilities to control shadows. Not only that, but she can, uh, how do I put this lightly…”

“She can read your soul.” Zayn said shortly, looking up to them. “She can see what you’re thinking, feeling, everything you’ve ever thought or felt, all of it. Everything down to your very core. And because of the intimate access she has to your soul, she can take it. Completely. She draws her power to control the shadows from the souls of people, so she began to kidnap kids from the school to feed off of. However, they could find the victims but never Miss Jackson. And we figured out why a year ago.”

Liam frowned. Reading your soul? Able to see everything? He looked up slowly, remembering who had been helping him when he didn’t even know how to help himself, slowly putting it all together. “Is Annie…is she Miss Jackson?”

Louis sucked a quick breath in, “Yeah. Yeah, she is.” Before anyone could say anything, he was still speaking. “That’s why they wanted to put her in Deviant last year, because they realized it was her once they saw her abilities. Only, she didn’t know she was Miss Jackson. See, when we were really young, Dad, uh, wasn’t happy that he had a daughter.” Louis looked to the ground, scuffing his shoe along the dirt. “He abused her. We were all too young to realize what was going on until Zayn’s mum told us. But because she was being abused so young, she got a lot of mental problems. Developed schizophrenia, as it turns out. And since she had abilities, those abilities manifested with her different personalities…” He trailed off, and Zayn nodded, looking to everyone.

“She knew she had two personalities. We knew her other personality was terrible, and that sometimes she would wake up in weird places that she didn’t remember going, but we didn’t know to what extent and why until the professors figured it out. But Louis and I, we had figured out a way to take care of her until Annie came back and Miss Jackson had disappeared. So we convinced them that she was better, and she was. We stopped Miss Jackson from appearing dozens of times. Until now, I guess.”

“We just need to help her.” Louis pleaded, looking at everyone. “She doesn’t know what she’s doing. We just have to suppress her until Miss Jackson goes away, and help that poor kid she’s trying to eat right now.” He frowned. “Which, we should probably get to saving.” At that, they all took off running again, until suddenly Celeste screamed and pointed, “There!”

“Celeste! Slow her down! Harry and Niall, get the kid! Liam, Zayn, with me!” Louis shouted, sprinting forward as water orbs grew in Zayn’s palms. Celeste shot ice from her hands, distracting Miss Jackson, and Liam visibly blanched when she turned, dark eyes settling on him and his friends. Gone was the bright blue he had come to love: her eyes were now darker than Zayn’s.

“Ah, so the amp and his friends have turned up.” She smirked, and with a flick of her wrist, the shadows dropped the boy they had been holding. “More for me.”

Niall and Harry quickly made their way over to the boy, helping him up while Celeste continued to shoot balls of ice at her. Miss Jackson easily knocked them all away, the small tendrils of shadow surrounding her. She was so focused on Celeste that she was helpless when roots shot out of the ground, and Liam looked to see Louis manipulating them.

“Liam! Get her down, now!” He shouted, and Liam nodded, accessing his super strength. He pushed her down as the roots pulled at her, and soon he was straddling her, holding her arm down as Louis wrapped root after root around her wrists and ankles. Zayn quickly ran up behind him, water orbs in his hands.

“Didn’t think I’d get you on top of me in this way, Liam. Wish it was under sexier circumstances.” She smirked up at him, dark eyes cold and mocking. He grimaced, and then suddenly, something in his mind pushed forward. It sounded far away, like a radio signal struggling to get through.

_Liam, you’re an amplifier. That’s what I meant by there’s more to you. You provide more power to others._

He froze, watching as Miss Jackson’s face grew worried. He could…amplify? But what use was that? None of them needed an amplifier, other than Niall. Niall….who was a healer.

Could he heal her mind?

“Niall!” Liam called, “Get over here! I think you can fix her!”

“Don’t listen to him!” Miss Jackson screeched as Niall walked away from Perrie and the boy. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

“Be quiet.” Zayn growled, sending the water closer to her face. She quieted, glaring at him.

“What?” Louis asked breathlessly, looking back and forth between them. “You can…heal her? And get rid of Miss Jackson for good?”

“I think so.” He swallowed. “She mentioned something to me once. Niall, you’re the best healer in the entire school. And I think I can like, amplify your powers? So that you’re stronger? Do you think you can do it?”

Niall grimaced, forehead beaded with sweat. “It’s worth a shot, innit?” He kneeled down, placing a hand on Miss Jackson’s forehead. Liam placed a hand over his once Louis had more tree roots wrapped around her arm, and Niall closed his eyes.

Immediately, the cool feeling was flooding through Liam’s body once again, the flow of it seeming to course towards Niall’s hand, which was glowing a golden color. Miss Jackson let out another angered screech, and then suddenly she was cut off, body arching upwards once before collapsing back down to the ground. Liam watched in awe as the darkness faded from her eyes, slowly fading back to the bright blue before she closed her eyes, head slumping to the side.

“Did you kill her?” Zayn asked shakily, and Niall lifted his hand from her forehead. Liam slumped forward, head resting on the cool ground beside Annie’s. His body felt empty and raw, and so so sore, and Niall was breathing heavily beside him, unable to answer Zayn.

No one moved. They all stared expectantly down at Annie, and when she suddenly breathed in and started coughing, Niall and Liam jumped away, Louis and Celeste immediately removing the bindings.

“How the hell?” Annie wheezed, holding a hand to her head as she sat up. “You fucking…she’s not in control. What the hell.”

“You remember?” Louis asked in surprise, kneeling beside them. “You never remember her.”

“I remember everything.” She grimaced, glancing over to Liam as she caught her breath. “Including her rude comment to you. Sorry about that.”

Liam smiled, relieved. “At least your wit is in tact.” She smiled wearily at him, then let herself be pulled to her feet by Zayn and Louis.

“Glad you figured out your powers.” She leaned heavily against Zayn, winking. “Genius move, really. Major props to all of you, actually. You all were ace.”

“Come on, you can thank us all later.” Louis told her, then looked to Liam. “Hey, Mr. Strong, wanna carry her back? We need to get that kid to the hospital wing.” Liam grinned, more than happy.

“Sure thing, Cap.” He lifted Annie carefully bridal style, and she sagged against him, eyes closing. He smiled to himself, avoiding looking up at Louis. He knew Louis would definitely try the big brother act, and he wasn’t ready to deal with that just yet.

You’ll have to deal with it sooner than you think.

Liam jumped, looking down at her in surprise. Annie’s eyes were still closed, although a small smile was on her face. He only sighed, looking forward and following the rest of the group back to the grounds.

Of course, they had to tell Professor Viper what happened once they got there, and while he was thoroughly disappointed they hadn’t come to the faculty, he was proud of them for handling it like a team. He kept Annie for a few moments to make sure her vitals were okay, then dismissed her with an astonished grin.

“I didn’t believe she could be fixed.” He told them, watching as Doctor Miller took the electrical wires off of her forehead. “It seems Niall here pulled off a miracle.” Niall beamed proudly, pausing in chugging the water he was given.

They were sent back to their rooms with only a warning, and Taylor was upset she hadn’t been invited along for the adventure. Josh only thought it was interesting that Niall had been able to heal Annie’s mind and left to go find a book in the library on mental diseases.

“Annie was right,” Celeste hissed to Niall later that day, “Taylor is annoying as fuck.” Then, louder, she looked at Annie and asked, “Hey, is it too late to request a room change?”

Everyone laughed, and Liam pulled Annie closer to him where she was snuggled against his side.

 _So, about me being on top of you…_ He thought to her, knowing she was listening, and she smiled against his shoulder.

 _Good things come to those who wait._ She replied, making him laugh and earning a glare from Louis. But, looking at the older boy, he decided he could handle the big brother routine. As long as he had Annie by his side, he could do anything.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so so so much for reading.
> 
> part two may be up soon depending on how many hits this gets haha
> 
> find me at suchbullshitmuchstraight on tumblr <3


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